When I think about the years that impacted my development as a student the most, I always reflect back on my early education. They were the years when almost all of your friends were ecstatic to be at school, which made you happy to be there as well. School was a social time but also a time of immense growth, much of which shaped your view of education for the rest of your life. Quite obviously, primary school gives you the foundation necessary to build up essential pillars of specialized knowledge. Many of us remember in quite vivid detail the day we learned long division, or the shuttle run in gym class, or making a turkey out of our traced hands. Memories such as those make for an all encompassing learning experience, which is certainly what I had.
I attended the Joseph H. Gibbons Elementary School which was all of about a 42 second drive or four and a half minute walk from my house. The Gibbons was where I met some of my best friends and learned just how instrumental school was going to be in my life. The school provided me with a number of resources that made it much more than a place where I simply learned. For example, after my parents got divorced when I was six, I was placed in the Banana Splits Program. Banana Splits is essentially a support group for children who have experienced parental divorce or death within the family. This was an unbelievable resource for me because while I did partake in some private therapy, I greatly preferred the time I shared with the other children at Banana splits.The program made me feel less alone and helped restore some of the normalcy that I felt I was missing from my life. Another unconventional element of my elementary school career was the rigorous show choir I participated in. The choir was run by our music teacher, Paris Kampanellis, who also owned the Paris Cabaret, a performing arts school. Ms. Kampanellis held us to incredibly high standards. There was an intensive audition process and unlike many other elementary school extra curricular activities, not everyone got in. The Showliners, as we were called, opened every school concert, performed at almost every town event and went caroling during the holiday season. At an early age I developed a strong admiration for the arts which would later influence my involvement throughout high school. Both of these unique experiences are just two examples of the impeccable resources school gave me, which helped influence my formative years.
My early education provided me with a number of excellent experiences that allowed me to become a well rounded student. I was very well prepared for middle school which set me up very well for high school and more importantly, higher education. My early exposure to the performing arts as well as my childhood support group were just two of the unconventional portions of my early education that encouraged me to blossom. School was a place where I was not only able to learn, but also a place where I was nurtured and stimulated emotionally. I am very grateful for the education and the experiences I was able to have early on because they have molded me into the type of student that I am today.
I attended the Joseph H. Gibbons Elementary School which was all of about a 42 second drive or four and a half minute walk from my house. The Gibbons was where I met some of my best friends and learned just how instrumental school was going to be in my life. The school provided me with a number of resources that made it much more than a place where I simply learned. For example, after my parents got divorced when I was six, I was placed in the Banana Splits Program. Banana Splits is essentially a support group for children who have experienced parental divorce or death within the family. This was an unbelievable resource for me because while I did partake in some private therapy, I greatly preferred the time I shared with the other children at Banana splits.The program made me feel less alone and helped restore some of the normalcy that I felt I was missing from my life. Another unconventional element of my elementary school career was the rigorous show choir I participated in. The choir was run by our music teacher, Paris Kampanellis, who also owned the Paris Cabaret, a performing arts school. Ms. Kampanellis held us to incredibly high standards. There was an intensive audition process and unlike many other elementary school extra curricular activities, not everyone got in. The Showliners, as we were called, opened every school concert, performed at almost every town event and went caroling during the holiday season. At an early age I developed a strong admiration for the arts which would later influence my involvement throughout high school. Both of these unique experiences are just two examples of the impeccable resources school gave me, which helped influence my formative years.
My early education provided me with a number of excellent experiences that allowed me to become a well rounded student. I was very well prepared for middle school which set me up very well for high school and more importantly, higher education. My early exposure to the performing arts as well as my childhood support group were just two of the unconventional portions of my early education that encouraged me to blossom. School was a place where I was not only able to learn, but also a place where I was nurtured and stimulated emotionally. I am very grateful for the education and the experiences I was able to have early on because they have molded me into the type of student that I am today.